A Promise to Heal


 
 
 
 “We’ll never know if you don’t try, will we?”
 “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I’ll make a deal with you.”
 “What kind of a deal?” Miriam’s expression was cautious.
 “I promise to do everything you say…to try my hardest...for a month. If I’m not much better by then, you agree to quit.”
 Miriam stood very still, considering before she spoke. “I can’t speak for Tim. Just for myself.”
 “Yah. Just for yourself.”
 “Who’s going to decide whether or not you’re much better?” she said. “You?”
 His jaw hardened. She wasn’t going to make this easy.
 “No,” he said abruptly. “How about…Betsy?”
 Her lips twitched. “Don’t you think Betsy has her own reasons for wanting to be rid of me?”
 He raised one eyebrow, a gesture that used to work with the girls. “If you’re really making progress, you’ll have won her over by then. What’s wrong? Don’t you have any confidence in your work?”
 She seemed to wince at that. After a long moment, she nodded. “All right. It’s a deal.”
 
 
 A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage led Marta Perry to write about the Plain People who add so much richness to her home state. Marta has seen over seventy of her books published, with over seven million books in print. She and her husband live in a beautiful central Pennsylvania valley noted for its farms and orchards. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, traveling, baking or enjoying her six beautiful grandchildren.
 Carrie Lighte lives in Massachusetts next door to a Mennonite farming family, and she frequently spots deer, foxes, fisher cats, coyotes and turkeys in her backyard. Having enjoyed traveling to several Amish communities in the eastern United States, she looks forward to visiting settlements in the western states and in Canada. When she’s not reading, writing or researching, Carrie likes to hike, kayak, bake and play word games.
 
 
 MARTA PERRY 
 &
 CARRIE LIGHTE
 A Promise to Heal 
 2 Uplifting Stories
 Nursing Her Amish Neighbor and Caring for Her Amish Family
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 Nursing Her Amish Neighbor by Marta Perry
 Caring for Her Amish Family by Carrie Lighte
 Excerpt from Falling for the Amish Bad Boy by Emma Miller
 
 
 Nursing Her Amish Neighbor
 Marta Perry
 
 
 This story is dedicated to all those who work toward healing in the world. And, as always, to my husband.
 
 
 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
 —Matthew 6:14
 
 
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Chapter Thirteen
 Chapter Fourteen
 Chapter Fifteen
 
 
 Chapter One
 Matthew King heard the footsteps on the back porch and knew his father had finally come home. He’d been over at the Stoltzfus place next door long enough...talking about Matt, he felt sure. It was dark already, although the daylight lingered long on these August evenings.
 Daad would come into the old farmhouse quietly, not wanting to wake the household, and especially Matt, sleeping on the first floor since the accident.
 But Matt wasn’t asleep. He didn’t sleep much anymore, not unless he took those little white pills that the doctor had prescribed. And he didn’t even have them at hand. Daad had insisted they be kept in one of the kitchen cabinets, maybe afraid of what Matt might do if they were too easily accessible.
 However appealing oblivion might be, even on the worst days, he’d never take that way out. It would be too hard on his parents, as well as being a violation of their faith. He wasn’t sure he even cared about that any longer, but they did.
 Matt shoved the pillow up behind him, his gaze wandering around the room. They’d put him in the sewing room, so he could be on the ground floor. The quilting frame was still propped against the wall, and the sewing machine, covered with a sheet, sat in the corner. Inconveniencing everyone, that was what he was doing. Better if he had died in the accident, like David.
 The familiar pain and grief swamped him, only to be chased away by rage. Better if he had died instead of David, that was what he thought. And certain sure better if that reckless drunken teenager had killed himself instead of David. But no, he’d walked away with hardly a scratch, while Matt’s family’s lives were changed forever.
 Forgive, said the church. But this wasn’t something he could forgive. The bishop came to see him, praying for him, sitting endlessly beside the bed. Time, he’d said. Give it time. God’s purposes will become clear. Our job is just to obey.
 But all the time in the world wouldn’t make this any better. David was gone.
 The back door closed softly, and he heard Daad’s quiet footsteps cross the wide boards of the kitchen floor and stop. He must have walked to the hall and waited, looking and listening. He’d see that the light was still lit in Matt’s room. He’d come in.
 Sure enough, the footsteps approached. A slight tap on the door was followed by the door opening, and Daad stepped inside.
 “Everyone else asleep?” he asked.
 Matt shrugged. “They went up a half hour ago. Whether they’re sleeping, I couldn’t say. Well, did you convince Miriam to take on the hopeless case?”
 He could hear the bitterness in his voice. He wanted to take it away, but he couldn’t.
 Daad’s weathered face tightened. “It is not hopeless. Nothing in God’s creation is hopeless unless people make it so. And yah, Miriam has agreed to come and help us.”
 “Maybe she can help Mamm. She can’t help me.” His jaw set. “And she won’t be around very long.”
 He’d make sure of that.
 Daad’s lips quirked in what might have been a smile. “Wait and